Rise of the Guard
by Firebird'sDaughter
Summary: When Zelda disguised herself as Sheik, she couldn't have known the truth - that such a Sheikah already existed, and that he was more closely connected to her than either of them knew. Now a Dark Army is invading again, and Hyrule's protectors are scattered and few. Can an unlikely quartet save them? (M for my paranoia, slight MidnaxLink, Zelda and Sheik as separate people[sort of])
1. Prologue: Last of the Sheikah

_This is what happens when I think too much about Twilight Princess and then stay up too late. While not to good at videogames myself, I love the Zelda games for their stories and characters. I had a thing for Sheik from his very first appearance - when he turned out to be Zelda, I was a little disappointed... At the loss of a character. I have nothing against Zelda. I __**love**__ Zelda, but I also liked Sheik as himself._

_NOTES: I. Yes, I got the name Dawn Guard from Skyrim. Because how the hell is that not awesome?_

_II. I play fast and loose with a __**lot**__ of history in this, most notably OoT stuff to make room for this story. So... Yeah. Here we go._

* * *

It was a story years in the making, since the day the Castle Hyrule fell to the Dark Army, since the day the Dawn Guard vanished from the face of the earth. The day their Captain fell, and his body was carried out and burned. But his sword, the Captain's Blade, was never found, nor was Captain Kiotchi's son, who was rumored to be among his officers. Another mystery that sprang up that night was the fate of the elf-mage Ranos, who fled the castle when it fell, and disappeared into the sands of time.

There were other legends, older than these, of the time before the Queen came to Hyrule, when the King was younger, and when he was charmed by the young Sheikah warrior who was chosen to be his bodyguard. Wether or not the whispers were true, that something happened between them, and that it produced a child, a son, was never confirmed, but one day, the young woman merely faded from the backdrop of the castle, and no one, not even the King, could guess where she had gone. It was years and years before anyone so much as even thought of the rumors again, when the Sheikah were presumed extinct, and the Dawn Guard obliterated...

"Mama! Mama, look!" The little girl pointed across the square, to where three of the town's resident hoodlums where surrounding a thin, cloaked figure that looked like it was soaked to the bone. Her mother frowned angrily.

"What are those children doing?!" She demanded, and began to march towards them. It turned out that the figure did not need their help, for with a few graceful jabs, they had rendered the teenagers completely incapacitated. Then, however, they retreated back into their wet cloak, shivering. The mother and daughter approached close enough to see that it was a man, but only that; his face was covered in wrappings save for his eyes, which burned magenta out of his face. "Are you hurt?" The woman asked gently. The man looked at them carefully, then shook his head. Struck by how thin he was, the mother invited him to eat dinner with them, something which seemed to surprise him. He stepped out of the shadows and allowed his cloak to fall back just enough that they could see his clothing and the little girl gasped.

"You're Sheikah!" She cried, but her mother shushed her quickly, taking the stranger's arm and pulling both her daughter and him down the street. Once they reached the safety of their farm, she took the girl aside.

"If he is **really** Sheikah; **especially** is he is really Sheikah; do **not** announce it in the street. He may be the last of his kind, and loudly declaring that would put him in even **more** danger. Do you understand?" The girl nodded. The woman turned back to the man. "You must forgive Ana. She is young, and doesn't understand what is happening." The man removed his cloak fully, shaking water out of his hair. It seeped out from the crack in his face mask that allowed for his eyes, falling into them in a mess of straight, shaggy, golden-brown light. From what little they could see of his face, it was a handsome one; his profile was a sharp, with straight features and high cheekbones. He was a slim man, with narrow shoulders, and a build that was better suited to speed than strength, though there was no doubt he could pack a punch. While it took them some time to get him to speak, when he did, his voice was a quiet one with a gentle and tired air.

"So, what's your name?" Ana asked him eagerly from her seat at the table.

"Sheik." The man said softly, smoothing his fingers across the fabric of his sleeve. It didn't take the two long to become friends, and Sheik was more than willing to help the entire family in their work. Though he spoke little, there was a genuine kindness and grace about him that eased any doubts they might have had. During the tail end of dinner, however, their lives were sent spinning on their heads. The door burst open, and crowds of Dark Soldiers burst in, their weapons drawn. Sheik took down several of them quickly until he was knocked on the ground and the leader of the attackers grabbed Ana and put his sword to her throat.

"Surrender now, Sheikah, or we'll slice the girl's head off!" Sheik froze, looking frantically between the guards lowering their spearpoints at his chest and the Captain, then raised his hands slowly, the rest of the family huddling in the back. The Captain handed Ana off to another soldier and stepped over to where Sheik lay, the spears pressing against his ribcage, setting the sword tip at his throat, kneeling down. "Your people are said to be great trackers, right?" Sheik made no response, just staring at him. The Captain pressed sharply with his sword, drawing blood and causing the Sheikah to grit his teeth sharply. Ana struggled toward him vainly, her expression distressed.

"... So it's said." The Captain grinned.

"And you're the best?"

"I don't know. Perhaps you should ask someone else?" The Captain shoved him down sharply, leveling his blade.

"We know who you are, Sheikah." The Sheikah's magenta eyes widened, making the rest of the family wonder just **who** he was. "So why don't you just cooperate so that we don't go to the trouble of ruining your life?" The young man closed his eyes, as if he were in pain, then opened them again.

"What do you want?"

"There's someone we need you to track."


	2. The Long Ride Home

_**Perhaps I should elaborate on my 'fast and loose' comment before:**_

_**THERE IS NO LOGIC TO THE TIMELINE.**_

_**OOC Link and TP both are and are not the same person. The same with Zelda. I'm just going to smash through this at full speed, and whoever wants to come along can.**_

_**No hating or flames, please. They make me cry.**_

* * *

The rider was young, no older than his mid-twenties. His dirty blonde hair hung around his face in short spikes, and his blue eyes seemed to perceive more than just his surroundings. The horse was young and strong, eager to please as well, tossing his head and stomping his feet. The man reached forward and patted his head.

"Hush, hush, Ankou. It's alright." His voice was a little deep, but pleasant to listen to. He looked around the forest again. "Things have changed since I was last here." He paused, squinting at a tree. "... Western trap is sprung." The horse's ears pricked forward, towards the village. After a moment, he heard it too. "Good to know Ordon is still populated." He muttered as three figures appeared through the underbrush. One was a lean, light blonde boy of about sixteen. With him was a smaller boy with dark red hair and a girl dressed for hunting, a bow slung over her shoulder, both looking slightly older than him. At the sight of the man, she quickly leveled an arrow to it; not aiming **at** him, but prepared to fire if he proved a threat.

"Who are you?" The blonde boy demanded. The man let go of his reigns, ground-tying the horse, to hold up his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"Don't worry. I am not a threat." The group looked at him suspiciously, but their eyes strayed to the blonde boy for confirmation. When he showed no intention of backing down, the young man continued. "The western trap is sprung." He gestured calmly. "You might want to check it out." The girl looked at the blonde boy. He nodded.

"Go ahead, Beth." She lowered her bow, stepping carefully through the foliage and disappearing in that direction. After a few moments, she returned with a rabbit in her hand.

"He was right." She told the blonde, holding it up. The blonde looked back at him.

"Ordon traps have been developed for years. They're so well hidden, an outsider couldn't possibly discover them. Who are you?" The man grinned.

"Oh, come on. You don't recognise me? I didn't think six years was enough to change me **that** much, wouldn't you say..." He squinted at the boy. "... Colin?" For a moment, the boy looked bewildered, then his eyes widened.

"... Wait... **Link**?!" Link quickly dismounted as the boy ran toward him, allowing Colin to throw his arms around his torso. Whilst Colin had grown, Link had, too, and there was still a difference in their heights. He patted the boy's head, hugging him back, and then extending his greetings to the other two as they came over. Finally, Colin stepped back. "You remember Beth and Talo, of course." Link nodded, respectively hugging and shaking hands with the two. Their greetings over, they let him recover his reigns, and walked together back towards the village, the teenagers chattering as they did so. As they came through the gate, a young woman who had been working at a flower bed leapt up and jogged slowly toward them - slowly, because she was several months pregnant. She came to a stop in front of them panting.

"It... It's you... Isn't it? Link?" She straightened, smiling. When he blinked, she rolled her eyes. "Hello? **Ilia**?" He slapped his forehead.

"Of course. Sorry." She laughed and hugged him. By this time, other people were coming over, jostling each other to get a chance to talk to him. Finally, one man's voice rose above the others.

"Let me see him, let me see him!" A lean, slightly older man was shoving his way to the front. Once there, he grabbed Link in a bear hug, then held him by the shoulders at arms' length. "Look at you..." He clapped him on the shoulder. "You remember old Rusl, don't you?" He was rewarded with a grin and a nod. They gripped each other's forearms tightly before Link tried escape from the crowd with the excuse of taking care of his horse, but most of the village children immediately offered to help, and he found himself with a trail of followers as he approached the paddock. They proved useful in fetching the materials to care for the great draft horse, and were delighted by his playful nature, petting his neck and stroking his nose. Finished, Link leaned on the fence while Ankou played with them. Ilia came up on the other side, watching.

"His dam was my first horse!" He called to the kids. "Better horse than her never walked this earth..."

"Where **is** Epona?" Link didn't even turn when Ilia spoke, leading her to suspect he had known she was there long before she arrived at the fence, though his attention had been elsewhere.

"Back at the Castle. Her adventuring days are over, I'm afraid. She's earned her retirement." He finally turned his head. "So... Who was the lucky guy?" She blinked, and he nodded to her stomach. She laughed shortly and blushed, avoiding his eyes.

"W-well..." She was unsure of how to respond. At one point in her life, she remembered fancying herself to be in love with Link, back when they were younger. In the time he had been gone, however, she'd begun to realise that might have been a girlish crush. He was, after all, the only boy close to her age in the village - it wasn't unreasonable that she should take a liking to him. She wasn't sure, however, how Link felt. After several moments of deliberation, she raised her eyes to his. He was looking at her curiously, with his head slightly tilted to one side. But, in the blue eyes, she could detect no deeper attachment or interest than accompanied that of usual childhood friends. "His name is Daron." She told him, smiling the fullest she'd smiled in a long time. "And he's a scholar. He came here about two years after you left. He's not so good at the physical stuff, but he's very mart." He nodded, looking back at his horse.

"Good. He sounds like a friend of mine." They were cut off from further conversation by the arrival of Rusl, who insisted that Link join his family for dinner, to which Link promptly agreed. The invitation had then been extended to Ilia, who nodded, and the two young people watched as Rusl dashed off.

She brought Daron to dinner that night, and the young man was instantly taken with Link.

"Ilia's told me so much about you." Was the first thing he said upon being introduced to Ordon's resident hero. Link himself was still pleased with the scolar - he was tall, with pointed ears and long, straight red hair pulled back in a ponytail. He had a quiet nature, but smiled often, despite being shy.

"I... Am not surprised. Where are you from, if you don't mind my asking?" Daron's eyes flitted to the floor, and Link quickly held up his hands. "I-I don't mean-"

"No, it's okay. I grew up traveling around the outskirts of Hyrule with my father. He was a scholar, but I do not remember my mother." Link frowned curiously.

"I... See. Where is he now?" Daron shrugged.

"I'm not sure. We parted ways when I was old enough to travel on my own. He said it was safer that way. I'm not sure what he meant." Link nodded and dropped the topic, but it bothered him for the rest of the evening, as did Daron's strange resemblance to... He resolved to ask that person from the Group about it when he next returned to Castle Town.

* * *

The days wore on, and Link easily reassimilated into the village community. He got on as easily with Daron as Ilia had hoped - as the young red haired scholar had heard many tales of the young hero from his wife. But there was also something about Link that worried Ilia - a certain loneliness.

As if he'd lost something or someone immeasurably important to him.

She'd see him standing on the cliff over looking the village in the early hours of twilight, just staring at the sky. She would have been willing to attribute it to a desire for adventure, had it not seemed that Ankou also sensed his master's distress. Whenever Link was within sight of the paddock, the horse would prance and toss his head, trying to get the young man's attention. Sometimes, Link would acknowledge him, but more often, he would continue staring wistfully at the night sky, as if hoping something would descend from it. She wasn't the only one who noticed. One day, she returned home to find Colin, Beth, Talo and Malo sitting in her parlour.

"We **know** you've noticed." The sixteen-year-old said calmly, and she nodded, taking a seat among them.

"Something's wrong." Beth declared." He was never like this before."

"But if he won't talk to us, how can we be expected to help him?" The surly question came from Talo. Ilia shook her head.

"We just need to-" Shouting arose outside, surprising all of them. They jumped up, their conference forgotten, and dashed out to see what the commotion was. Link, Rusl, and Daron were already there, as a group of night hunters came panting back into the village. Rusl ran over to them.

"What it is? What's wrong?"

"Th-there's..." One of the young men gasped, "A... Horse... We think. It... It moved too fast, but... Just... Barreled through the traps, sidestepping them like it knew where they were! It's headed here!" Daron came up beside Rusl, frowning.

"How is this such a cause for alarum?"

"It's not the horse that scared us!" Cried another hunter. "It was the things following it!" At that moment, there was a huge crashing as the animal in question burst through the underbrush, galloping towards them at record speed, head bowed in determination. Somehow, despite the darkness and the speed the creature was moving it, Link recognised her.

"Epona!" At the sound of her master's voice, the mare's head snappped up, and she began to slow, circling around to reach Link and rearing to a halt while he ran to catch the halter she was wearing. "Whoa, whoa there, girl!" When she finally had all four feet on the ground, breathing and snorting heavily, he patted her neck, looking her over. She was covered in sweat, wearing nothing but a halter with no rope. Her son began baying from the paddock, but stopped when she gave a sharp neigh in reply, as if telling him to be quiet. Then she lowered her head and bumped her forehead against Link's chest, tossing her mane.

"There's something in her halter." Daron whispered, not wanting to break the moment between the young hero and his horse. Link nodded, removing the paper and unfolding it gently. Seeing the colour abruptly drain from his face, Ilia leaned forward to read over his shoulder.

_Hyrule Castle has fallen. The princess is fled_.

_-Thelma_

"Rusl." Link said softly, passing the older man the note. Rusl took it, then had a similar reaction upon reading it, he looked at Link and nodded.

"I'll summon the Group." He promised, then turned quickly and headed back to his house. Link stepped around Epona, stroking her side when she snorted with concern, and looking around at the forest.

"You said something was following her?"

"Some**things**." He nodded, taking a few more steps towards the tree line.

"... Colin, can I borrow a torch?" The teenager nodded, grabbing one from a nearby house and handing it to his surrogate brother. Link inched further forward, eyes narrowed in concentration. Ilia found herself grasping for Daron's hand. She found it, and he squeezed it gently.

"It'll be okay." He whispered. Almost as soon as he spoke, a shadow burst out of the bushes, lunging towards Link. The young man, however, remained unfazed, smacking the creature in the face with the torch and sending it squealing back into the darkness. Suddenly, several of them appeared, growling and leaping, but this round, Link wasn't alone. Epona burst into the fray, biting and kicking. The sound of thudding hooves echoed through the night and Ankou appeared, joining his mother in the fight. Before long, the monsters were flying back to where they came from, shrieking and howling. When they were all gone, Link handed the torch back to Colin, and the horses trotted around him in circles before he calmed them. He leaned his forehead against Epona's face, eyes closed in thought, then stepped back, looking around.  
"I... I have to do something here that maybe a bit..." He sighed. "... Unnerving." They all looked at each other. "Normally, I'd do this privately, but this seems urgent." He was already fumbling with a leather pouch around his neck, pulling it open. He shot one last look around at his audience. "Just... Try not to be too alarumed." With that, he dropped what looked like a small, black talisman into his hand, closing his fingers around it. The moment he touched it, however, his body jerked, and he seemed to retract into himself, gritting his teeth tightly. Ilia tried to dash toward him when he dropped to his knees, but Daron held her back as black light surrounded Link, twisting his form and briefly blinding them all. When their sight returned, the place where he had stood was occupied by a large, maned wolf with intelligent, blue eyes. To everyone's surprise, neither of the horses seemed frightened, and Ankou even nuzzled the wolf with his nose affectionately. The canine and Epona gazed at each other seriously, as if engaged in some sort of silent conversation. Hearing a sharp intake of breath beside her, Ilia looked over at Daron.

"Could it be...?" He murmured thoughtfully, watching the wolf with interest sparking in his eyes. "I wonder..."

_You say it was not Twili?_ Link asked, and Epona bobbed her head in answer.

_These creatures appeared to like humans in dark armour_. She told him. _I do not think we are up against the same enemy_. The wolf shook his head sorrowfully.

_I had hoped this was over._

_So had I_. Ankou looked between them.

_So, we must rescue the princess, mustn't we?_ He asked eagerly.

_Not so fast_. Link cautioned the young stallion. _We do not even know if she is in danger yet. Last time she had to go on the run, she disguised herself as a Sheikah. She may have done so again._ Epona agreed tacitly again. _Our best bet is to meet up with the Group and form a plan. I have somethings I need to discuss with..._ He trailed off, his eyes moving Daron. At that moment, Rusl returned and let out a yelp at the sight of the wolf, which Link was fairly certain he recognised. _Better change back. I have no desire to go through dodging Rusl's attacks again._ He bent his head down to his paw, gripping the talisman in his teeth from where it was stuck between his footpads like a thorn, and dropping it back into the pouch with practised ease. When Midna had left him, she'd been kind enough (or forgetful enough, seeing as it was Midna, it could be either one) to leave the talisman with him. While it helped him at times like this when he needed to speak to animals, it had the down side of reminding him of the time he'd spent with the Twilight Princess, which always kindled sorrowful memories and a desire to be alone. As he felt the familiar tug of the transformation, he forced himself to shove those memories aside. Zelda was in danger. He needed to focus now. He returned to his human form, ignoring the villagers' surprised cries. He didn't have time to explain Twilight Magic (or rather, curses) to them. He looked at Rusl. "The Group?"

"On... On their way to Thelma's bar... I-I'm sorry, were you just a **wolf**?" Link sighed.

"Yes. It was magic. It's a long story how I got the talisman, but it allows me to talk to animals. I needed information from Epona." He folded his arms. "She tells me these creatures didn't look like Twili. We'll probably get more information from Thelma when we arrive." Ankou abruptly stuck his soft nose in Link's back. "Yes, you're invited." The horse whinnied happily, and Link looked at Ilia. "Do you still have Epona's old saddle? I'll ride her. Ankou can play pack horse." The young woman nodded, slipping out of Daron's hold to fetch it. He let her go, now more interested in what was happening than holding onto her hand.

"I can see what I can dredge up." He told Link. "My father an I visited several libraries on our travels-one of them might have something. Who knows? I may even come across **him**, and **he** knows about **everything**." Link smiled at the young man.

"That would be helpful, Daron." He turned to Rusl. "How about you show Daron how to summon the hawk so he can communicate with us? I'm going to pack." He moved quickly away, making sure to put both horses in the paddock with fresh water for Epona. As he was filling the trough, however, a distinct feeling that he was being watched suddenly filled him, as well as a strange, **vibrating** feeling in his left hand. He looked down at it, and was unnerved to see his third of the Triforce illuminated, the small triangle quivering ever so slightly. He whirled around. "Who's there?" There was no answer, but the triangle on his hand pulsed faster, and he felt the back of his hand growing hot with the energy. "Show yourself!"

"It's just me!" He looked to his left to see Daron standing there, holding up his hands. Link frowned, looking back around, only to discover that the throbbing in his hand was gone almost as soon as it had started. Whoever the Triforce had been reacting to (and he **dearly** hoped it hadn't been Ganondorf) had moved out of range. He relaxed, turning back to Daron.

"Not... Not you. I sensed something."

"Ah." The red-haired scholar said quietly, lowering his hands and coming to stand beside Link. "Okay. You scared me there." Link nodded, casting another glance about just for safety's sake. He had never had the Triforce respond that way to anyone, and he was certain he didn't like it-not with Zelda missing.

"Do you need something?" The other young man tilted his head slightly.

"I... I wanted to ask about the wolf thing." Link sighed. He didn't have time for this, but he reigned in his impatience.

"Yes?"

"That... That was Twilight Magic, wasn't it?" Link blinked. In his previous experiences, the only person in Hyrule who had had an comprehension of the Twilight situation was Zelda. How could this man know?

"Y-yes, how did you...?"

"My father was avid about studying other species, but he also had a... Shall we say, a knack for magic. Like I said, he knows about everything." He tugged at his ponytail a bit. "He told me there were different kinds of magic. The light magic that he used, that which springs from the Sages and the three Goddesses, and the dark, which springs from the-"

"-Twilight Realm." Link finished for him, sadly. "I know." Daron looked at him sideways.

"Is that where they are?" He asked. "Your friend?" Link looked at the sky again.

"... Yes, she - Wait, who told you-" But Daron was already laughing.

"You did, just now." Link groaned.

"That line is **so** old!"Daron smiled, putting a hand on his arm.

"I won't pry, and I'll get the others off the subject too, I promise. But..." His eyebrows nit together slightly. "... They're worried about you. Ilia thinks I don't notice, but I do. Colin and the others, as well." He patted Link's forearm. "Just... Try not to look so glum." He moved off. Link watched him go, his mouth twisting. He was **definitely** going to be asking some questions.

* * *

Epona was jumpy the morning of their departure, though if this was because of excitement for another adventure or leftover fright from the night before, Link wasn't sure. He was told by Ilia that Daron had left early that morning, which he wasn't sure if he found suspicious or reassuring. Thinking about it over night, he had realised he could not be sure that Daron **hadn't** been the cause of the Triforce's behaviour the previous night. After all, he actually knew very little about the man. He would have to make inquiries. He was very careful **not** to let any of this on to Ilia, to whom he just smiled and waved after mounting Epona, Ankou secured to them by a lead rope. Rusl rode ahead of him on a horse Link had never seen before, but he supposed he **had** been gone six years. Just as they were at the mouth of the bridge, the Triforce abruptly burst to life again, this time blazing even **more** brightly, the heat scorching Link's arm. He gripped his elbow and gritted his teeth, blessing his own stoicism, which prevented him from crying out, and Epona's intelligence, which allowed her to keep plowing on, even when he dropped the reigns. He twisted on her back, looking desperately around for the cause of the reaction, trying not to attract Rusl's attention.

This time, he caught them.

A robed figure crouched on the ledge above them, gazing down from beneath it's hood. It was poised easily on the cliff crouched as if preparing to leap off. It knew Link saw it. For a moment, it gazed back at him, and he caught a glimpse of lively, magenta eyes. Then the person turned and fled, flashing away with a speed Link had only seen one other person move with before, and one word pushed itself to the forefront of his mind.

_Sheikah_.

But the Sheikah **should** be dead. That was what Zelda had told him at Impa's funeral - that the last of the Sheikah was dead. But what if she was wrong? He noticed the pain fading from his arm, and wondered if the Sheikah had been the cause. Both Zelda and Impa had told him that Sheikah were said to be reincarnations of the servants of the goddess Hylia, reborn to protect her human image. At least, this was what the Sheikah themselves believed - but perhaps the Triforce agreed with them. Either way, if the figure **was** a Sheikah (which he wasn't entirely certain of), then they should be fine. Before their supposed extinction, the tribe had sworn allegiance to the royal family. Having one watching or perhaps following them shouldn't be a problem or a threat. And yet.. Riding on, however, he could not shake a feeling of apprehension. Why should a Sheikah appear now, when everyone had thought them to be gone? When Rusl called for him on the other side of the bridge, however, he shoved his suspicions aside. He would have time to address them later; now, he had to get in contact with the Group, and form a plan.

* * *

Once he was certain the horses had moved on, Sheik dropped down onto the road below, his fingertips hovering above the dirt. They had said they were heading for a bar in Castle Town. Perhaps he could 'accidentally' cross paths with them there. Still, the whole affair made his insides twist with a new sort of sickness. He didn't **want** to hand this young man over to people who were no doubt his enemies, and by all rights, **should** be his as well. He stood, biting the inside of his cheek, and thinking about Ana's family, still holed up in their house. They were counting on him to help them. Sticking close to the shadow of the wall, he inched toward the bridge. He had to be careful not to be seen again. He didn't think that the man could draw to draw too much information from the brief glance they had shared, but he was currently paranoid enough to not be too sure. He shouldn't get that close again - the reaction had been... Unexpected. He stopped in the shadows by the end of the bridge, and looked down at his left hand.

Fading slowly out of sight, was the faint outline of a third of the Triforce.

He would have to be **very** careful.

* * *

_**This will hopefully get more interesting as time progresses. And yes, Link speaks. How the hell would this work if he didn't?**_

_**Another note: while the summary sort of made it sound like Midna would be joining our heroes on their adventure, while I assure you she does, she doesn't come in until later (she does have to GET here somehow), and it will take a bit for her to end up traveling with them **_**_again. She will. I promise. It may just take awhile._**


End file.
